


Sweet Dream

by kythen



Series: Touch You Not [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, KuroDai Week, KuroDai Week 2019, M/M, Miscommunication, Omega Sawamura Daichi, POV Alternating, Pining, Teachers, angry protective kuroo, sleepy drunk daichi, slight warning for some unpleasant things said about omegas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-26 13:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18718213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kythen/pseuds/kythen
Summary: Kurodai Week 2019 Day 1: Secrets/ ConfessionsKuroo protects a vulnerable Daichi from a predatory alpha.(Kuroo has thoughts on the matter and Daichi doesn’t know about them.)





	Sweet Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to ["Touch You Not"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16921044).
> 
> Happy Kurodai Handshake Day (6th May)!!!

It is utter chaos in the restaurant, with an entire teaching faculty out for drinks after the year-end examinations. It had started out properly enough, with pleasant small talk and minimal griping about problem students and examinations, but as the night went on, it eventually devolved into drunken rants and faculty members passed out and snoring in corners of the room. Someone will have to go around and sort them out before the restaurant closes, but it won't be Kuroo because all his attention has narrowed down to focus on the omega swaying in his seat, his eyes half-closed, even though he maintains an impressively strong grip on his drink.

Kuroo is glad that he snuck his way into the throng of Literature teachers as soon as the faculty members had started mingling about because Daichi has obviously drunk more than he could handle and Kuroo is pretty sure that he is dozing off in his seat. Daichi has been exhausted lately—all of them have, with the examinations to prepare for—but the Literature department had had the worst of it. They had been severely understaffed after one of the teachers went on maternity leave and another resigned abruptly, and Kuroo knows that Daichi had taken it upon himself to pick up the slack. Thankfully, volleyball club activities had been put on hold for the examination period or Kuroo knows that Daichi would have run himself into the ground trying to stay on top of everything.

Kuroo had grabbed a seat beside Daichi as soon as it had been vacated and he scoots closer to Daichi, trying to gauge if he can wrestle the beer mug out of Daichi's hand or if he has a death grip on it. This close, he can smell Daichi's distinctive forest-green scent wafting off him, mingling with the reek of alcohol. Daichi is warm, his face flushed a healthy red, and even though Kuroo isn't touching him, Daichi's heat radiates off him and onto the parts of Kuroo closest to him, caressing his thigh and arm. Daichi teeters in his seat, looking like he is about to fall over to Kuroo's side at any moment, and Kuroo braces himself to catch him.

As a rule, Kuroo doesn't let himself touch Daichi at all, if he can help it. His grandmother had taught him about alphas and omegas and he knows how easily scents transfer over with a single touch. Every time Daichi touches him, he leaves a warm spot of his scent lingering on Kuroo, the smallest little hint of him, and it just about drives Kuroo crazy with how conscious he is of it. He wants to drink in Daichi's scent by the mouthful, by the lungful, until he is drowning in it. He wants Daichi's scent all over him and his scent all over Daichi, and the strength of his desires scares him so much that he can't bring himself to touch Daichi at all, even in casual familiarity, after all their years of friendship.

Kuroo wants to do this the proper way. He never wants to hurt Daichi or ruin his chances with other alphas if Daichi has someone else in mind that isn't Kuroo. This means no scent-marking, like what some more liberally-minded alphas and omegas do to show interest in a potential partner. He would never touch Daichi unless Daichi asked him to and until the day that Daichi tells him of his own volition that he wants Kuroo, Kuroo is going to keep all his desires buried deep down within himself.

Daichi sways in his seat and finally leans over to Kuroo's side, resting his cheek on Kuroo's shoulder and fully giving in to sleep. He looks comfortable enough, even though Kuroo's shoulder isn't the softest of pillows, and Kuroo smiles as he looks at Daichi cuddling up to him. He is so cute like this, his mouth open as he snores silently, and Kuroo's heart swells with pure affection for him. There is a bit of guilt there too because Daichi is pressed so close to him that Kuroo starts to smell their scents mingling, but it isn't as if he can just prop Daichi up in a corner and leave him by himself.

The stench of another alpha intrudes into their space and Kuroo's hackles rise instinctively as he looks up sharply. An alpha seats himself on Daichi's other side, with an unpleasantly predatory gleam in his eye as he looks at Daichi. Kuroo recognises him from Daichi's department, an oily sort of alpha who lays his eyes on every omega who crosses his path. Kuroo has seen the way he looks at Daichi, his eyes lingering far too long on Daichi's backside and the exposed, unmarked nape of his neck, and he doesn't like it. He doesn't like it at all.

"He's kind of cute like this, isn't he? All soft and pliant against you," the alpha remarks, glancing over at Kuroo meaningfully as if sharing some in-joke between alphas. Kuroo knows what he is implying and he bristles. "I'll tell you what, since you seem so stiff around him, I'll do you a favour and take him off your hands."

The alpha reaches out towards Daichi, a hand about to settle casually on Daichi's unprotected nape, and something in Kuroo snaps.

Kuroo grabs the alpha's offending hand, gripping it so tightly that he can feel bones grate under his fingers. He knows for sure that he is stronger than the other alpha, who looks like he has never seen the inside of a gym in his life, and he would gladly snap the alpha's fingers if he were to even _try_ to touch Daichi again. He snarls at the alpha, making sure he knows it. "Don't touch him."

The other alpha hisses in pain and tries to shake off Kuroo's hand unsuccessfully until Kuroo lets him go. His scent grows sulky and bitter with resentment as he withdraws his hand, but he doesn't leave despite the sheer "fuck off" vibes that Kuroo radiates with both his scent and his presence. Instead, in a show of bravado, or plain stupidity, he actually tries to talk back to Kuroo.

"Why?" the other alpha sneers. "You're too much of a coward to touch him when he's always within arm's reach of you so why don't you let other alphas have a shot at him? You know how omegas are, always desperate for an alpha. He’d be all over you if you let him."

"Obviously, no one's taught you to be a decent human being and it baffles me how you even became a teacher when you're lacking in fundamentals like that." Kuroo says icily, feeling cold even though Daichi is right next to him, radiating warmth like a furnace.

The alpha rolls his eyes. "Don't pretend you're so above it all. You want him too, don't you? You're an alpha just like me and you're with him all the time. It would take a blind beta to see how much you want to fuck him senseless. Or," the alpha's lip curls as he eyes Kuroo mockingly, "have you already done it?"

Blind rage consumes Kuroo whole and he barely thinks about what he is doing as he lunges for the alpha's throat. Plates fly from the table as the alpha scrambles back and only Daichi's weight on Kuroo, his sleepy head on his shoulder grounding him, keeps Kuroo from standing up to pursue the alpha as he makes a break for it. There are eyes on them now, interested whispers and murmurs breaking out around the tables closest to him, and Kuroo glares at the alpha as he disappears from sight around a paper door. If he so much as sees his shadow anywhere near Daichi in school, Kuroo swears that he is going to actually break his fingers this time.

In his peripheral vision, Kuroo can see worried and wary looks being thrown his way. Kuroo is baring his teeth, a growl building in his throat, and his alpha pheromones are probably making all the alphas and omegas in the room very uncomfortable. Kuroo hardly lets himself get this angry or lets his alpha instincts take over like this and he feels like a bundle of raw nerves, ready to snap at the next person who dares approach Daichi again. It isn't like him.

Kuroo breathes in deeply. He smells Daichi's warm, comforting scent next to him, his favourite in all of the world. He looks down at Daichi, his eyes tracing every curve and contour of his dear face, and the blind instinctual rage that had seized him loosens its hold on him a little. He must smell horrible to Daichi now, all burnt coffee and anger, and Kuroo takes several calming breaths, trying to tone down his scent. It is a miracle that Daichi hadn't woken up at all during the confrontation, testament to how exhausted he must be—or how comfortable he feels with Kuroo, a small part of Kuroo's brain hopes. Kuroo is glad that he didn't wake up. Omegas face enough crap about their designation in a world full of alphas like the one he just chased off and he doesn't want Daichi to hear all the vile things the alpha had been implying about him.

As his anger simmers down, Kuroo feels sick. His skin tingles disconcertingly, as if he had bathed in slime or grease, something viscous, poisonous, and unwanted. He knows the views that some alphas have of omegas and he has heard of alpha attacks on omegas before. To have an alpha direct all of that vileness towards Daichi makes Kuroo furious—and scares him too at the same time.

Kuroo knows that Daichi can take care of himself, but there is also a gnawing fear within him that Daichi will let himself be caught vulnerable at a time when he can't help it. There are bad alphas in this world, the kind that his grandmother had instructed him fiercely to never become, who think that they own the world just because they were born as alphas. They think that they own omegas because of how their bodies are built, because of instincts and compatibility, and they never think to ask omegas what they want before they take and take.

All it takes is a simple loss of control for Kuroo to become someone like that to Daichi and every moment Kuroo spends with Daichi, it scares him that he could hurt him just like any other alpha out there.

"Kuroo," a voice says from across the table and Kuroo looks up to see his colleague, a sensible-minded beta who is his neighbour in the teachers' office. Her expression is soft and sympathetic as she tells him, "We're cleaning up and getting everyone home. Do you want to see Sawamura home?"

Kuroo opens his mouth to decline, to tell her to assign another omega or a beta to see Daichi home safely. But when he looks down at Daichi again, sleeping peacefully against his shoulder, he shuts his mouth. Nobody else in this room knows Daichi better than Kuroo, knows where his home is, where he puts his keys, how he likes his shoes arranged, and Kuroo wouldn't trust Daichi with anyone but himself, despite all his misgivings about himself.

"Yeah, I'll get him home," Kuroo tells her softly.

The beta nods and goes away to check on their other colleagues who might need help getting home. After the bit of commotion between Kuroo and the other alpha, the party seems to be winding down, faculty members checking on their friends and colleagues and milling out of the room in twos or threes.

Against his shoulder, Daichi shifts and Kuroo prepares to pull away in case Daichi wakes up to find himself pressed this close to Kuroo. But instead of waking up, Daichi burrows himself deeper against Kuroo's side, burying his nose into Kuroo's shoulder and letting go of his beer mug to hug Kuroo's arm. Daichi's breath tickles Kuroo's skin through his shirt and he shivers, equal parts embarrassed and affectionate. He wishes they could stay like this forever, but he doesn't want to take advantage of Daichi's unconsciousness to savour their closeness.

Sighing softly, Kuroo pulls out his phone and calls for a cab. "Let's get you home, Daichi."

\---

Daichi wakes up with a throbbing head and a mouth that tastes fuzzy, like he swallowed a cotton ball in his sleep, and he groans, rolling over in his bed. Sunlight trickles through a crack in his curtains, signalling the arrival of morning, or afternoon—Daichi has no idea. All he remembers is the faculty party to celebrate the end of the examinations, eating and chatting with his colleagues around his table, and drinking, so much drinking. Why did he even drink so much in the first place?

He doesn't remember coming home, even though he is clearly back in his own bed, and Daichi sniffs, trying to pick up on scents, a hint of who had brought him back home last night. His room smells surprisingly clean and fresh, devoid of any particular scents but his, and so do his bedsheets. His clothes reek of alcohol and Daichi makes a face as he pulls his collar up to his nose. But somewhere under it all, Daichi thinks he makes out the faintest whiff of coffee and chocolate and his face goes warm with the realisation.

 _Kuroo._ Of course, only Kuroo knows where he stays and puts his keys. Anyone else would have put him up at a business hotel and left him to deal with the charges.

Daichi rolls over on his back and throws a forearm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. He must have inconvenienced Kuroo. The alpha doesn't like touching him, always shying away from Daichi when he comes close to him, so getting him home must have been a monumental effort. Daichi should apologise to him.

Now that Daichi knows it is there, he can't stop picking up on the faint traces of coffee and chocolate on his clothes, sporadic, as if the alpha had avoided touching him directly as much as possible. Maybe he had a beta to help him manoeuvre Daichi back home and into his bed because Daichi can't imagine Kuroo getting him home himself when his scent had rubbed off so little on him.

Daichi curls up on his side and reaches for his pillow, hugging it to his chest and burying his face in its plushness. He must have had a good dream last night because all he remembers is Kuroo, his body warm and solid against Daichi's, wrapping him up in his familiar, protective scent, which had made Daichi feel safe and comfortable. Kuroo hadn't moved away when Daichi had come closer to him and Daichi remembers being cradled to Kuroo's chest, with strong arms under his body carrying him up to his apartment. He remembers how gently Kuroo had treated him when he had laid him down in his bed, taking off his shoes one at a time, then bundling Daichi up in his blanket.

Daichi had wanted Kuroo to stay with him, reaching for him and murmuring his name even as the alpha moved away, but given the absence of Kuroo's scent from Daichi's clothes, bed, and even his room itself, the alpha had barely been there at all. It must have had been nothing more than a sweet dream born from Daichi's desires.

Longing thrums in Daichi's chest, an old song he is now used to, and Daichi fights down the ache in his heart. He just wants Kuroo to touch him, without acting like it would be the worst thing in the world for Daichi to so much as brush against his shoulder. He is tired of looking at Kuroo and seeing everything good and pure and bright about him, only to be denied all of that when Kuroo purposely keeps out of reach from him every single time. He wants to be held close and treasured, to be loved and wanted by the one person he loves the most.

He just wishes he could tell Kuroo all that he feels for him and that the alpha would stay and listen to him without pushing him away like he always does.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Find me here: [tumblr](http://kythen.tumblr.com) / [twitter](http://twitter.com/catcrowcalls)


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